McCain Remains Silent on Hagee's Outrageous Homophobic Slurs

While much of the recent media attention on the outrageous Rev. John Hagee has focused on his right-wing Christian Zionist views and "militantly anti-Catholic rants", there has been relative silence on his anti-gay sermons and homophobia. Hagee has endorsed Sen. John McCain and few have pressed McCain on Hagee's anti-gay zealotry.

To his credit, last night on FOX News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly asked McCain about the "bad things" Hagee says "about Catholics and gays and other things like that." The Republican presidential candidate "rejected" Hagee's extensive anti-Catholic history and said nothing about "gays and other things like that." Transcript at Think Progress and YouTube below.

O’REILLY: OK. John Hagee is a guy…
MCCAIN: Yes.
O’REILLY: …that you sought his endorsement in San Antonio, Texas. He said bad things about Catholics and gays and other things like that. And your opponents are saying, hey, you know, McCain hangs around with Hagee. Obama hangs around Wright. No difference.
MCCAIN: I do not embrace a view that he stated about the Catholic church. I steadfastly reject it and repudiate it. I’ve never been in Pastor Hagee’s church. I know him, but the fact is that I accept his endorsement.

Only this week, Hagee reiterated his outlandish claims that Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans because it was "planning a sinful" "homosexual rally." Newsweek reports McCain sought Hagee’s endorsement "for more than a year." Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and social conservative Republican presidential candidate, campaigned at Hagee's Texas mega-church and reportedly raised money by passing the collection plate.

Some Background ...
Huckabee Will Speak at Anti-Gay, "Anti-Catholic" Texas Mega-Church [R20]

Comments

[Taylor Siluwe]

Thats gonna change. McCain is only being given a pass because Hillary is too busy embarassing herself.

Once she finally sits down and stops playing the race card, the gender card, and even the 'mother' card, the country will hear about McCain's scary zealots hanging out in his closet.

Mark my words.

[malik m.l. williams]

I would speculate that the major part of the reason McCain is getting a pass is because the majority of people in the media (and probably in America) don't see anything particularly offensive about the things Hagee says. Oh, they might not choose to listen to him every Sunday, but he's probably not spouted off anything that's too far right of what they believe. People in the media are human too, which means they are biased, blind, ego-centric, and self-serving. Like the rest of us. That anyone ever believed differently is the real wonder.

Don't expect things to change on the mainstream media front until those who call themselves "watchdogs" stop worrying about their own biases, blindness and ego-centric need to be right about who's the better Democratic candidate, and start asking whoever the final two are about their politics and plans...

[Taylor Siluwe]

Hagee's views (the Catholic church is the Great Whore) has to offend every American who won't let you sit on that pillow with the Pope on it.

And Parsley, who beliefs this country was FOUNDED to destroy Islam, has be a whole lot left of center for an average 'thinking' American.

But maybe I'm wrong.

[SjP]

Fox does it again! See and hear for yourself at: http://sojournersplace.blogspot.com/2008/05/they-just-keep-pulling-me-back-in.html

Much Obliged, SjP